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Springtime in Virginia is glorious. And in Maryland and in Pennsylvania. Cool and colorful and fragrant.

Sophie stops to smell the roses (well, onion grass)

So, I left the humid 90 degree weather in the Fabulous Florida Keys on Thursday (bye bye for now seeya next fall), spent the night at a surprisingly nice La Quinta outside of St. Augustine, woke to blessedly cooler weather, then drove for hours and hours and hours and hours through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina and landed just over the border in Fancy Gap, Virginia. And let me tell you, there was nothing fancy about it. I stayed in a Days Inn where I kid you not; the sheets are made of something akin to sandpaper.  But oh the scenery. Did I mention glorious? And high temperatures in the 60’s.

I bypassed 95 this trip, feeling more competent about where I was going and not just doing what the voice told me to do (the gps, for those of you not in the know) and traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday. I love how as I travel north, spring gets earlier and earlier. Here in Fort Loudon, PA the redbuds and dogwoods are blooming, there are daffodils and tulips and violets and snowdrops showing off everywhere and the bright green leaves are just out on the trees. I am so lucky because I will get to experience this all over again when I get up to Maine.

When I walked the dogs at the crack of dawn this morning, I was fortunate enough to meet one of the locals. This is what he said to me:  yaller whinoted camaly noderahly fuhlamerahny. To which I replied, please don’t hurt me. No just kidding! Kidding! I just smiled and nodded. I have no clue what he said. He was standing outside a trailer that had to be older than I am by a lot, smoking a ciggy.

 

Ok, this is not his trailer but what a lovely vacation home this would make, right? Fixer upper.

Did I mention I am in the murder cabin again? You know, the place with the dead heads all over the walls? Eyes following you wherever you go. Creepy but the price is right and it is near Josh and Stacy, and the girls can run and run in the woods – a nice little break from the car.

And this is just ONE wall!

Stacy drove up last night and we had a late supper. Today, we’ll do our biannual shopping excursion to Chambersburg and Greencastle. (ammendment: everything CLOSED on Sunday! The little girl in the CVS said, they're pretty religious 'round here...nothin' is open.)

Here is the little cabin we stay at, with Stacy in her bathrobe playing Ma Barker on the front porch.

Life is good, isn’t it?